Cheerleader Workouts For Your Legs And Hips | How To Do A Toe Touch

When learning how to do a toe touch cheerleaders need to be focusing on two things, mastering the form and performing exercises for your legs which can increase the height you can jump. Using resistance while performing leg lifts forces the muscles in the thighs and hips to exert more force than normal. To accomplish this the muscles must activate and utilize a larger portion of this muscle. When more muscle fibers are active and assisting in contracting they produce more power, strength, and balance. When cheerleaders are learning how to do a toe touch they will greatly advance in their jumping ability by utilizing resisted and then unresisted sets of cheerleader workouts for your legs and hips. When the resistance is removed and cheerleaders perform unresisted leg lifts they will feel much lighter and more explosive. As these muscles are trained more and more they will continue to help to create more height and power when jumping off the ground.

Best Way To Learn How To Do A Toe Touch

One thing many athletes don’t do when performing explosive movements like jumping or sprinting is failing to use their entire body. Just like teams must learn to play as one, our bodies use every limb and extremity to move efficiently and to be explosively powerful. Utilizing the arms, core, and legs all in unison is key for not only learning how to do a toe touch but in learning how to move explosively during athletic events.

This is why it is important for athletes to not only train their lower bodies when learning how to do a toe touch but cheerleaders must also perform drills like the KB PowerBands Lateral Raises and core strengthening exercises like the Kbands Wide Knee Leg Lifts. While the KB PowerBands Lateral Raises will help strengthen the shoulder muscles, which are used to create momentum with the arms when jumping, the Kbands Wide Knee Leg Lifts will not only help strengthen the core but will also work the hip flexors which play an important role in jumping explosiveness. The abs play an important role in the jumping process by stabilizing the trunk of the body so athletes can keep a rigid position for the jump.

Before performing the resisted leg lifts drill athletes will want to prepare and stretch. Athletes can go to the Recovery Section to find efficient and effective Foam Rolling Techniques with the Recovery Foam Roller. Athletes should also perform some type of dynamic or active stretch like high knees, karaoke, or linear and lateral movements. These dynamic movements will help to warm up the hip muscles and joints and increase the amount of muscle fibers which are firing before the athlete begins to learn how to do a toe touch.

Exercises For Your Legs, Abs, And Hip Flexors

Before beginning the resisted leg lifts cheerleaders will need to choose the correct amount of resistance. Cheerleaders should perform the resisted leg lifts with either the yellow, red, or green Leg Resistance Bands. Younger athletes and athletes just beginning their resistance training can begin with the yellow Leg Resistance Bands, which provide the least amount of resistance and can be beneficial when learning how to do a toe touch. Athletes who are older, more advanced, and more experienced on how to do a toe touch can pick between the red Leg Resistance Bands (one level up in resistance from yellow) or green Leg Resistance Bands (which provide the most resistance of the three). Using the proper amount of resistance when learning how to do a toe touch correctly will help athletes develop faster in their jumping ability and leg lifts.

When learning how to do a toe touch, or practicing to perfect the ultimate toe touch, athletes will want to practice this resisted leg lifts drill. To begin athletes will choose the correct amount of resistance for their Kbands Leg Resistance Bands. Once athletes have chosen the correct amount of resistance they will attach the Kbands just above the knees and perform 10 resisted toe touches by jumping high into the air and extending their legs straight out to the side before finishing the resisted leg lifts by softly landing on their feet. When athletes jump it is important they extend and spin their arms. This will create momentum and inertia which the body can use to force greater muscle activation and in turn send the athletes body even farther into the air. Athletes should explosively shoot their legs to the side as they squeeze their abs and slightly lean forward to reach their hands to their toes.

As cheerleaders land they need to flex at the ankles, hips, and knees in order to “cushion” the landing. Landing this way, and not with straight legs, will help cheerleaders maintain healthy knees, hips, and ankles.

Cheerleaders should perform 2-3 resisted sets of the leg lifts before removing the Kbands and performing 1-2 unresisted sets of 10 repetitions. The unresisted phase of the resisted leg lifts is a great opportunity for athletes learning how to do a toe touch to really focus on their form as the extra muscle activation from the Kbands Leg Resistance Bands has more muscles firing in the glutes, quads, and legs. Athletes should be sure to take 2-3 minutes between sets of the resisted leg lifts. Athletes want to maintain a high energy level when learning how to do a toe touch and should conserve energy when possible and reset after each jump to make sure athletes are in a good position for the leg lifts exercise.